Do You Wanna Be My Friend?
by A-non.Lurker
Summary: AU O/S set along the lines of a song; more details inside. Lucas starts third grade and meets someone who'll surprise him. She asks a question, he answers it...and through the years the answer doesn't seem to change.


**A/N: This is kind of a song-fic thing, but I put my own spin on it. It's completely AU. All centered, italicized stuff are the lyrics. The song is Check Yes or No by George Strait, which I, of course, don't own.** The story title also comes from the song; it's part of the chorus. A part I removed from the lyrics for my story, so I used it here :)** **

** I also don't own OTH, it's characters, or anything of vital importance, lol. **

**I do own any and all mistakes, as it's unbeta'd.**

* * *

><p><em>It started way back in third grade…<em>

Lucas Scott made a face at one of his good friends, Haley James, as their mothers led them into classrooms directly across the hall from each other. It was the first day of third grade, and the first time since they met in kindergarten that they wouldn't share a classroom. Actually, he would be separated from all of his friends this year.

He was a little nervous about that. He just hoped he was able to make friends in his new room away from the four people he usually played with.

"Hi! Welcome to Room Nine!"

Lucas edged a little closer to his mother as Karen greeted the dark haired woman with the perky voice. He smiled a little when both adults turned their attention to him.

"Lucas, I'm Ms. Colby. Go ahead and wander around a little, take a look at where things are. You'll have a little cubby at the back of the room to put your things, labeled with your name, as well as a hook for your coat, okay?"

He nodded. "Where am I supposed to sit?"

Ms. Colby gestured into the room, "While you're exploring, find the desk with your name. That's where you'll be sitting for at least the next few weeks."

"Okay."

He left his mom and Ms. Colby to talk about whatever adults talk about on the first day of school, slowly making his way to the cubbies. He put his backpack and jacket away quickly, wanting to find his desk before exploring the rest of the place.

The desks were pushed together to form groups of four, and there were five groups in all. It was pretty easy to find his name in the group of desks at the back right of the room, and he was a little relieved to be the only one there so far. He studied the names of the kids he was gonna have to sit with for awhile, hoping that maybe he would find a new friend to talk to right away. He was still going to play with his other friends at recess, but it would definitely be less lonely to have someone in class, too.

He decided it was pretty neat that the kid sitting across from him had the same last name: Nathan Scott. He wondered if maybe they could be related or something. He'd have to remember to ask his mom about that.

There was a Ryan Sagewood next to Nathan, and a Peyton Sawyer next to him. Lucas figured they were sitting by the alphabet, since they were all 'S' names, but he also thought it was really cool they were all boys. That meant they could be a little gross without having to worry some girl was gonna cry and tattle. That was never fun.

"Lucas!" He looked up to see his mom waving him over; he sighed a little as he obeyed, enduring the embarrassing hugs and the repeated reminders to behave and have fun. When she finally left, most of the other kids were already sitting in their seats and talking to the people in their groups.

He made his way back to his, stopping abruptly at the sight of a blonde girl talking to her mom right by his seat. He narrowed his eyes at the blue and white dress, the white ribbon around her ponytail, and the Disney princess backpack…but he had to laugh at the blue converse sneakers on her feet. At least they weren't those dress shoes that made it hard for girls to play at recess. His friend Haley always had to sit out a lot when she wore those kinds of shoes. He didn't understand why girls wanted shoes like that, anyway. What's the point of wearing them if you can't do anything in them?

He thought maybe they would have moved by the time he got to his chair, but they hadn't. He took a deep breath and counted away his nerves…1, 2, 3.

"S'cuse me, please." He said politely, just like his mom taught him. "That's my seat."

The girl's mom smiled at him, "Oh, of course. I'm sorry."

She shifted aside, giving him room to stand by his chair. There was an awkward pause before the lady gently cleared her throat.

The little girl in blue sighed dramatically, but turned to him after looking at the name tag on the desk. "You're Lucas Scott?" At his nod, she continued, "Hi, I'm Peyton. Peyton Sawyer."

Peyton was a _girl_? So much for not having someone tattle or cry when they got gross.

And so much for politeness. "I thought Peyton was gonna be a boy, like the rest of the group."

As soon as he said it, he could feel his face get super hot. He glanced worriedly at her mom, only to see the adult holding back a laugh as she quickly smiled at him.

Peyton, however, glared. "_Peyton_ is a girl's name, 'cause I'm a _girl_ and my name is Peyton." She stressed, crossing her arms.

"I'm sorry." He mumbled, still feeling embarrassed about blurting it out like that.

Her mom put her hand on Peyton's back. "That's okay, Lucas. It happens sometimes with those kinds of names."

He felt a little better after she said that, even though the little blonde didn't stop frowning. But before it could get weird again, they heard someone calling Peyton's name.

"Oh, hi Ryan!" She called back, waving at a red-haired boy. "You're over here with us!"

Lucas must have looked nervous or something, because she finally grinned at him, leaning in to whisper, "Ryan's mostly okay. But he's kinda like the beige in the crayon box."

"Peyton!"

"It's true, Mommy!" She protested the sharp reprimand. "And I said he was nice."

Lucas laughed softly and watched Mrs. Sawyer lean down to say something to her daughter that he couldn't hear. That left him to introduce himself to Ryan when the boy got to the desks. After a few moments, he could safely say he agreed with Peyton; Ryan seemed nice enough, but he definitely wasn't the brightest kid Lucas had ever met.

The three of them sat and chatted for a while after Peyton's mom kissed her goodbye and Ryan had put his things in his cubby. The only one not there was Nathan.

Ryan leaned over, reading the name on the desk next to his. "Is this Nathan your brother? How come he's not here if you are?"

Lucas shrugged. "Actually, I don't know Nathan. I guess we just have the same last name."

"Oh." The red-haired boy looked around at the rest of their classmates that were already sitting down. "I wonder which one he is?"

"The one that's missing." Peyton said, making both her and Lucas laugh. Ryan just shrugged, looking slightly confused by the joke.

Lucas saw a dark haired little boy enter the classroom with a blonde lady. He gestured, "There he is, I think."

A quick scan of the room had Peyton nodding. "This one's the only empty desk, so it's gotta be."

Ms. Colby spoke to the grown up for only a moment then quickly guided Nathan to the cubbies, talking to the whole class about some of the rules at the same time. The teacher pointed out the empty chair to Nathan and made her way to the front of the room, still speaking.

The boy slid into his seat with a mumbled _hello_, keeping his eyes on his desk. Lucas felt a little bad for him because he seemed so shy. So he made sure to smile when Nathan did look up, earning one from the other boy, too.

"Okay," Ms. Colby clapped her hands together. "The first thing we're going to do this morning is get to know our group members. We are going to have classroom games and competitions throughout the year, and the people you are sitting with will be your teammates." She quickly went over some rules, then passed out an 'interview sheet' to everyone and let them have fifteen minutes to talk to each other.

"Um, the first one says to ask about everyone's favorite thing to do for fun." Lucas read off. "Who wants to go first?"

"I will." Ryan spoke up. "I like playing with my brothers. We make up a lot of superhero games."

Nathan piped up, "I wish I had a brother to play with. It always sounded more fun, but I usually just have to play by myself."

"What do you play?" Lucas asked.

The other boy shrugged. "Basketball, mostly. I also used to play in little leagues at it back in my old town."

"That's neat." Ryan interjected. "I play little leagues for soccer. I like running. What about you, Lucas? You in little leagues, too?"

The other boys looked at him interestingly, making him squirm a little. "No. I learned how to play basketball from my uncle, and sometimes me and other kids will all get together to play at the park or someone's driveway. I really like it."

"How come you don't play little leagues if you like it so much?" Nathan asked, leaning forward.

Lucas sighed, "Well…I dunno. My mom owns a Café in town and I gotta help her there after school. She says when I'm older and can be on my own more, then I can do other stuff. Maybe I'll join a team then."

"You should." Nathan grinned. "Then we can play together!"

Ryan laughed. "Yeah, the Scott brothers could take over basketball!"

Nathan and Lucas shared a confused look, before the brunette stated, "But we're not brothers."

"Not for real." Ryan explained. "Didn't you say you wished you had a brother to play with? And you guys have the same last name, so you can always pretend."

"That could be fun." Lucas laughed. "What'cha say, Nate? Wanna be my pretend brother?"

Nathan smiled widely. "Sounds cool to me!"

A loud sigh interrupted the conversation. All three boys looked at the fourth member of their group, a little girl with her chin propped up on her hand and a bored expression on her face.

"What's the matter, Peyt?" Ryan asked, puzzled.

"First of all, please don't call me Peyt. Second of all, leaving me out from this conversation is just mean." Peyton groused. "_Nobody_ asked me if I'm in little leagues or anything."

The boys exchanged dumbfounded looks.

"Are you?" Nathan ventured.

"That's not the point." She sat up, arching her eyebrow at them.

Lucas nodded a little. "It's not. The point is, we ignored you. Sorry."

She looked surprised that he understood. "Thank you, Lucas. Apology accepted."

"Yeah, sorry Peyton." Ryan chimed in.

Nathan offered her a small smile. "Yeah…sorry. I'm not really used to talking to girls about stuff. Plus, I like talking about sports a lot, so I get carried away sometimes."

"That's okay." Peyton said. "I get that. I can talk a lot about my stuff, too, if people let me!"

All of them giggled a little at that. Lucas figured everyone could get carried away talking about something they love to do.

"Well, what do you do for fun?" Nathan asked her.

Ryan interrupted, "I bet you like to play dress up. You look pretty today."

Lucas frowned at him, not knowing how the two things went together. And he had to smile to himself at the scowl that crossed the blonde's face briefly.

"Um, thanks, I think." Peyton told him, then turned her attention to the entire group. "Actually, I don't play dress up, but that's my best friend's favorite thing. I _love_ to color and draw things. My mom is teaching me a lot of stuff; she's a really good artist."

Ryan leaned his head on his hand and stared at her. "Are you any good? Could you draw me?"

She just shrugged. "I haven't really learned to draw people yet. But my mom always says that I'm a great artist, so I guess I'm good."

"Moms always have to say stuff like that about their kids." Nathan pointed out. "I made a card for my mom last year, and she said it was beautiful. It really wasn't."

"Yeah." Lucas agreed. "My mom says the same thing when I make her things in school."

Peyton frowned. "It's not like that, though. I can actually draw stuff."

"Me, too. I drew a picture of my family, and my mom said it looked just like us." Ryan shared.

Her frown only deepened and she looked somewhat sad. Lucas felt a little bad that they all basically made jabs at her fun thing to do.

He sighed. "Well, I think as long as you have fun doing it, that's what matters."

"Yeah. If you can draw a circle that's not lopsided, you're already better then me." Nathan offered.

"I can!" Ryan boasted. "And, I don't draw stick figures. My people have pants and shirts and shoes, so they look more like people than what other kids can do. I can even almost draw hands!"

Peyton didn't say anything, just turned around in her seat and opened the backpack she had draped on the back of her chair instead of in her cubby. She pulled out a green sketchbook and tossed it on the desk; it slid to a stop against Lucas' arm.

He jumped a little in surprise and glanced at her. She didn't look up though, just kept her eyes on her clasped hands. Lucas gingerly opened the cover and caught his breath.

He had expected to find pictures done in crayon or even marker. He expected to see boxy houses or barely make out a cat or a horse. Maybe some perfectly formed hearts or smiling suns.

What he found left him stunned. He had never seen a drawing by an eight year old that was this good; it looked like something a kid in high school could do. Actually, he was pretty sure she was better at drawing then most grown-ups. There was a sketch of an empty playground done in pencil that looked so real to him, he wanted to play in it. There was a drawing of a boat on water with a reflection, of a tree with a bench under it, and one of a neat looking house.

"Wow…" He breathed out. "Peyton…this is—" He couldn't really think of a word.

Nathan, who had leaned over his desk to see when Lucas had opened the sketchbook, sat back in his chair and stared wide eyed at her. "That's like stuff you could be famous with!"

Peyton looked up shyly and gave Nathan a small smile. Ryan leaned over and snatched the book from Lucas' desk, flipping it open to see. "Well, it is pretty good. Hey! Maybe I can draw people in your playground for you!"

"NO!" Both Scott boys half-shouted in unison.

Nathan frowned, "I don't care what your mom says, your people probably wouldn't look as good as Peyton's playground. That thing looks like you could actually play in it!"

"Yeah." Lucas continued. "I think you drawing all over it will only ruin the picture."

Ryan sat back with a pout, but Peyton offered them a timid smile. "Thank you, guys."

"It really is amazing. I've never seen anyone draw this good before." Lucas told her earnestly. Then felt himself turn red when she did.

Before anyone could say anything else, Ms. Colby called for the class' attention. Apparently, the interview was over; even though their group had only done one whole question off the paper.

While the teacher went over the next thing they were going to do, Lucas silently watched Peyton shove her sketchbook into her desk, a tiny smile still on her face. He liked seeing her smile. And he thought that maybe having a girl in their group wasn't going to be so bad after all. It was already pretty cool.

_She kissed me on the school bus, but told me not to tell…_

Lucas sighed in boredom. Haley stayed home sick today; their friends Fergie and Johnny rode a different bus, and Antwon lived close enough to the school to walk. That meant Lucas was left to sit by himself for the bus ride to school, since most people sat with their friends and he didn't know a lot of these kids anyway. He decided it wasn't really fun to sit by himself with no one to talk to.

The bus stopped yet again to pick up another group of kids. Lucas figured by the next few stops, someone would have sat next to him because the bus was filling up fast. At least then he wouldn't look like he was a loser with no friends.

He perked up when he spotted a familiar head of curls step into the aisle. "Peyton!" He waved her over enthusiastically, happy to see his friend.

"Hey, Luke!" She exclaimed, dropping down next to him. "You ride this bus? That's awesome!"

He grinned. "Yeah, I do. I don't remember seeing you here before."

"Usually my mom drives me. But today she had to go to a meeting, so I had to catch the bus." She leaned towards him and confided, "I was scared I wouldn't know anybody and would have to sit by myself like a loser."

Lucas laughed a little and shook his head. "I know. That's kinda what happened to me today. My friend Haley usually sits with me, but she's sick, so I was by myself. I'm glad you had to ride the bus today, though."

She just laughed. "So you totally owe me for saving you from being a loser today?"

He made a face at her.

"Don't worry," She continued through a giggle, "I'll think of something."

"Hey!" He protested. "I would say it's the other way around. _I_ saved _you_ from being a loser today!"

Green eyes widened at him as she dramatically placed a hand to her chest. "Are you calling me a loser, Lucas?"

"No! I—I just…" He sputtered, making her giggle again. He sighed, wondering how she always made him feel embarrassed so easily. He didn't have this problem with anyone else. "Let's just say we both saved each other from being losers today, okay?"

She grinned at him. "Okay."

"Oh, hey! Remember when I told you about my mom's triple berry muffins?" Lucas questioned, opening his backpack and digging inside.

Peyton nodded, leaning over to see into his backpack as well. "Did'ja bring me one like you promised?"

"Yep. She made them this morning." He pulled it out and handed the muffin to her.

"Thanks, Lucas! I can't wait to try it." When she made no move to unwrap it, he raised an eyebrow at her. She smiled sheepishly, "My daddy ordered pizza yesterday and I had some for breakfast. I'm kinda full."

He shook his head and laughed. "Nice breakfast, Peyt."

"What did you have?"

"French toast." He shared. "It's my favorite, especially with homemade strawberry jam."

"My favorite breakfast is leftovers." At his scrunched up expression, she shrugged. "I don't really like eating breakfast foods so early. So I just eat whatever's in the fridge."

He considered her, "Like what?"

"Pizza, cold chicken, _any_ kind of pasta, veggies…um, stuff like that." She listed off. "But I do like breakfast food—like omelets—but I have that on weekends or for dinner."

Lucas just shook his head. "I don't think I know anyone who eats as weird as you do. I have breakfast stuff for breakfast and dinner stuff for dinner."

"Boring." She shot back, sitting back with a huff.

He worried that maybe he hurt her feelings by calling her weird. But it kind of was; his mom would never let him even think about leaving the house without a hot breakfast. But maybe that wasn't all that normal, either; Haley usually showed up for the bus with a pop-tart or donut one of her older siblings scrounged up for her. Not all of his friends ate like he did.

"You know what," He said. "I take it back; it's not weird. I might try that one day."

Peyton rolled her eyes at him. "Don't suck up now, Luke. I'm annoyed at you."

"How long is that gonna last?" He sighed, well used to her sulky moods that never lasted more than a minute.

She didn't say anything, so he kept quiet, too. He silently counted off in his head, hiding a smile when he didn't even make it to 42—her record—before she broke the silence.

"Hey, you know what's weird?" She didn't wait for a response before telling him, "Daphne's mom. She told Daphne yesterday morning that she needed to lose weight and she was going to put her on a diet."

"Daphne?" Lucas frowned, bringing up a mental picture of one of their classmates. "But she's not fat."

Peyton nodded. "I know. That's what's so weird. And I'm worried, 'cause at lunch Daphne just cried and didn't eat her sandwich."

"Why would her mom say that?"

"I think it was a little my fault."

Lucas squinted at her, "What'd you do? Mind control? 'Cause that's the only way it could be someone else's fault."

She blinked at his sarcasm, but gave him a half-smile. "Well, Daphne does these pageant things, and she was showing me, Brooke, and Amy how to do the model walk. Her mom was talking to Sarah's mom, but she came over to say bye to Daphne and watched us. Amy said how good I did it, and then said that I was pretty and should do pageants, too."

"You'd probably win at them." He interrupted, blurting out his thought without really thinking. She looked startled and then blushed. He felt his face heat up, too.

Peyton kind of ignored his words. "Anyway, me and Brooke started goofing off and doing the model walk and I twirled around next to Daphne. She just laughed, but her mom got mad and told her that I'd beat her 'cause I looked nice and _thin_. Daphne stopped laughing."

"That's a…a stupid thing to say to a kid. Especially her own kid."

"I'm worried Daphne won't eat lunch anymore, 'cause she won't want her mom to be mad." Peyton confided.

Lucas nodded a little. "Well, what can we do?" He watched her fidget and bite her lip. "Peyton? What's your idea?"

She sighed, pointing to her backpack on the floor. "I packed extra lunch. I thought…well, I'd give it to Daphne and tell her that's the diet I do to look this way."

He almost wanted to laugh at that; Peyton ate a lot for a skinny person, and if anyone else tried eating like that, he figured they wouldn't stay skinny. He guessed he didn't do a good job of hiding his laughter when Peyton scowled at him and whacked his leg with her hand.

"Don't laugh at me! Do you have a better idea, Genius?"

He caught her hand before she could hit at him again. "Yours isn't bad, just funny, 'cause you don't exactly have a normal diet either, Peyt. But I think it's…you have a good heart, and Daphne's lucky you're her friend."

"But I don't know what to _do_."

"Just do what you planned, you know? Tell her she looks pretty the way she is and shouldn't starve herself for stupid pageants."

She smirked at him, "Luke, you think Daphne's pretty? Do you liiii-iike her?"

He sputtered, not really knowing how to answer that. "No! I mean, not like…_like_ her. I think she's okay as a friend."

"But you think she's pretty?" Peyton waggled her eyebrows at him.

He groaned, slapping a hand over his face. He wanted her to stop teasing him, but he was embarrassed to tell her the truth.

Well, his mom always told him that honesty was the best policy. "No, I don't think she's pretty. I mean—she's okay, I guess. I think you're way prettier."

She froze, her eyes going wide; he tried to smile, but he was too nervous about what'd she say.

Peyton didn't say anything. Before he could open his mouth to try to fix this, she leaned forward and pressed her lips to his. His brain stopped working.

She pulled back before his dazed mind could form a thought, jabbed a finger against his chest and commanded in a whisper, "Tell anyone I did that, and you won't be able to talk ever again!"

He just grinned, unable to help himself.

"I mean it, Lucas." She warned.

He nodded. "Okay."

They sat there, staring silently at each other for another moment before the bus came to a stop and everyone stood up to get off; they had arrived at school. She pushed her way into the aisle while he fumbled around for his backpack. When he looked up, she was already at the front and getting off.

He sighed, moving into the aisle to get off, a little worried that now she'd just ignore him. He didn't want that to happen.

Lucas jumped off the last step, moving aside to let others get off, and paused in surprise when Peyton called his name.

She smiled widely at him, "I think you're pretty, too." She dashed away then, running to catch up to a group of girls by the swings.

Lucas figured he spent that whole day smiling at random moments. Peyton had _kissed_ him. And she thought he was pretty (but he decided she meant handsome). Who wouldn't smile at that? Even if he couldn't tell anyone about it.

_Next day I chased her 'round the playground;_

_Across the monkey bars, to the merry-go-round…_

Lucas fidgeted in his seat on the bus the next morning, anxiously craning to see if familiar curls were among the kids waiting to get on the bus at the same stop she got on yesterday. Haley was still sick, so he was alone again and hoped that Peyton would ride the bus today, too.

But she didn't get on.

He sighed, sinking into his seat with a frown. Yesterday, she had ignored him when he tried talking to her in class. She had even gotten in trouble during free time and had to sit at a desk by herself next to the teacher for the rest of the morning until lunch time. Then she had sat with her friends to eat and played with them at recess; he'd been too nervous to talk to her with that many girls around. In class again that afternoon, she just talked to Ryan a lot and pretended not to notice Lucas trying to talk to her.

Nathan had even been confused; asking Lucas if he and Peyton had had a fight. Ms. Colby didn't seem to care for Lucas' attempts to talk to Peyton either, earning him an isolated desk next to the teacher for the rest of the day.

_Well_, he thought, _enough was enough_. He was gonna talk to Peyton today, no matter what.

When he got off the bus, Lucas headed straight for his classroom to drop his backpack on the pile by the door. He looked over all the bags until he saw the Disney princess one with the marker doodles all over it; Peyton was at school already, too.

He jogged to the playground, scanning the crowd of kids for blonde curls. When he saw them by the water fountain, he started walking over. He almost changed his mind when he saw a lot of other girls there, too, but he really wanted to talk to her.

He took a deep breath, "Hey, Peyton. Can I talk to you for a second?"

Three girls he didn't know looked at him and started giggling. Peyton shook her head really fast and blushed.

"Just for a second." He tried again.

A dark-haired girl gave him a big smile with dimples. "I think if you wanna talk to her, you gotta _make_ her listen."

"What?" Peyton was the one who looked as confused as he felt by that.

The girl nodded. "Yeah. I mean, my nanny says if it's important, he'll _want_ to. Is it important?"

Lucas hesitated, embarrassed, but nodded.

"Peyton, I think you better run away!" Daphne laughed.

She only frowned and folded her skinny arms across her chest.

Lucas sighed. "Okay, but can we talk?"

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Maybe later, okay?"

"If you don't," He warned, "I'll tell."

Her green eyes flashed at him before shifting over to the brown-haired girl. "Fine. But only if you can catch me!"

She took off running and he didn't stop to think before chasing after her. She was fast, as she dodged other kids and even ran under the people on the swings. He wasn't far behind her; he had almost caught her but tripped over another person who got in his way at the last minute.

They ran around the playground for a while, across the suspension bridge and down the slide; over the monkey bars that separated two towers; and even running across the big merry-go-round while it was stopped to let kids on or off.

She slowed down when she got to the small, old merry-go-round that was currently empty, bending down over her knees to catch her breath. He stopped right beside her, copying her position as he breathed heavily, not able to speak.

When he could, he asked, "Why won't you talk to me? Are you mad?"

Peyton sighed, sitting down on the merry-go-round and curling her arm around the bar. She just looked at him for a moment.

"Peyton?" He sat down next to her, using his foot to sway the ride from side to side.

"I'm not mad." She finally spoke. "I just…" She shrugged.

He looked at her. "You ignored me all day yesterday."

"I know." She met his gaze. "I'm sorry. But I didn't want to talk to you yesterday."

"Why?" He was a little hurt to hear that since he thought they were friends.

Peyton rolled her eyes. "I like talking to you, so don't start thinking dumb things, okay? It was just yesterday."

He waited for her to go on, but she only fidgeted. When her cheeks started to turn pink, Lucas took a guess. "Because of the bus?"

"Yeah."

"Oh."

They were both quiet, Lucas pushing against the ground harder with his feet and sending the merry-go-round into a lazy circle. He didn't know what to say. He had liked when she kissed him, but maybe she hadn't. _But_ she did tell him he was handsome, so maybe she did. He was mostly confused.

"Luke…" She started, only to fall silent again. She looked down at her hands, twisting them together on her lap. He reached over to stop her fingers, but paused before touching her, his hand hanging over hers before he yanked it back to his own lap.

The movement of her hands stilled as she stared at them, then looked up at him and bit her lip. Her eyes were big and a little sad. He got a funny feeling in his stomach, not sure of himself or what to do next.

Before either of them could do anything, the bell rang. Peyton's head jerked in the direction of the building, relief obvious on her face. "We have to go."

They both slid off the merry-go-round and walked towards their classroom, Lucas shoving his hands into his pockets to hide that they were nervously clenched into fists. They didn't say anything until they joined their classmates lined up by the door, making small talk with some friends.

Peyton turned to him and lowered her voice, "Luke, did you mean it yesterday? That you think I'm…pretty?"

He nodded, still feeling uneasy. "My mom says people shouldn't lie. Did _you_ mean it?"

"Yeah." She nodded.

They both smiled; but didn't have time to say anything more as Ms. Colby opened the door and greeted them all. "Okay class! It's been a few weeks and I think it's time for a change!"

Everyone looked a little confused as she gestured them inside; nothing looked different. Tony's desk was the one closet to the door and his loud exclamation drew everyone's attention to him. "Hey! How come it says Cindy Lawson on my desk now?"

"Glad you asked, Tony. I decided to switch around the groups and give everyone a chance to work with some new people. Everyone, you have ten minutes to wander around and find your new team! Take a few of those minutes to settle in and chat a little."

Lucas shared a wide-eyed look with Peyton as they both realized what this could mean.

"Oh man." Nathan said from behind them. "I don't like meeting new people! And I like you guys."

"Me, too." Lucas agreed.

Peyton nodded, scanning the nametags on the desks nearest to her. "Hey, Nate, you and I are still in the same group…look!"

Both Scott boys turned to see; Nathan and Peyton were now sitting next to each other and across from Adam and Jessica.

"Good. Where's your name, Luke?" Nathan asked. "Did'ja find it yet?"

He shook his head, glaring at the group that didn't have his name when he wanted it to.

"Hey, Lucas! Here you are!" Daphne waved him over to the group of desks right behind Nathan and Peyton's. "You're next to me."

He gave a small wave to both of his friends who were looking sadly at him, moving to join Daphne, Tony, and Susan. When he sat down, he noticed that both Daphne and Nathan separated him from Peyton; he wouldn't even be able to talk to her sometimes during free time without having nosy people listening.

He really didn't like this new change.

-x-

Everyone had long since settled into their vocabulary assignment—their last subject before lunch—when Daphne poked his arm and hissed his name. He glanced up to see her drop a folded up piece of paper in front of him. Lucas gave her a confused look but she just nodded her head in the direction of Nathan, who pointed to Peyton who wasn't looking at him.

Feeling suddenly nervous again, Lucas quickly unfolded the note and read it:

_Do you love me?_

_And if you do, well then don't be afraid to take me by the hand if you want to._

_I think this is how love goes. _

_Check yes or no._

His hand shook a little as he stared at the words in disbelief and hope. He moved his pencil to check the right box when the paper was snatched from his desk.

"Mr. Scott, I'll take that." Ms. Colby said firmly. "There will be no note passing in class."

He flushed, but nodded under her gaze. He peeked over to Peyton's desk, but her head was bent over her assignment…even though her pencil wasn't moving. He sighed, wondering how things always seemed to interrupt his important moments. He glanced at the rest of the group, who gave him sympathy looks before going back to their vocabulary.

He heard Ms. Colby say something to another student and looked up, curious to know what happened to Peyton's note and if the teacher had read it. Just the thought alone was embarrassing. But he saw her simply drop it on the edge of her desk before she moved to answer a question Ryan had. He knew he always liked that guy.

Lucas had a hard time focusing on the words in front of him as his mind raced with a billion thoughts. He considered Peyton's question; he didn't know how to tell if it was love, because he had never loved a girl before. He liked when she kissed him. He also wanted to do it again. He thought she was the prettiest girl…_ever_. She was also fun to talk to, really smart, and one of the nicest people he knew.

And yeah, he had wanted to hold her hand earlier, before he got nervous. So maybe it was.

The bell rang signaling lunch time, and Lucas realized he hadn't even finished his assignment. That meant he would have extra homework tonight.

He sighed as he moved around students to get to his cubby. Grabbing his lunch, he hurried to the side of the room and tried to see where Peyton was. He found her almost about to leave the classroom, walking with Daphne.

He jogged to catch up, grabbing the note from Ms. Colby's desk and pushing it into his pocket before the teacher could notice. "Hey, Peyton!"

She stopped, turning around to give him a hesitant smile while the other girl kept going, calling over her shoulder, "I'll save us seats!"

Lucas just smiled at the curly-headed girl in front of him and reached out to wrap his free hand around hers. Peyton's smile widened as she squeezed his hand.

"It's yes."

_Now we're grown up and she's my wife,_

_Still like two kids with stars in our eyes…_

"Excuse me, everyone!"

Lucas raised his head to see Nathan standing at the front of the room behind a microphone, champagne glass in hand, as he tried to get the room's attention. Lucas reached beside him, tugging Peyton closer into his side and pressing a lingering kiss to her temple.

The room quieted; Nathan gave his audience a quick lopsided grin and turned to the high table. "We're going to start the toasts now, beginning with me as the _best_ man!" His emphasis drew light laughter from those who knew him well.

"It's funny. I met both Lucas and Peyton on the same day, not realizing just what I was getting myself into. Peyton was the only girl in a group of boys, but definitely held her own, and Lucas was the kid that had my last name and loved my sport. So, _of course_, we decided this was a good thing, and became pretend brothers."

The two Scotts shared a glance and a smirk while the room's occupants chuckled.

Nathan continued, "Pretense became reality a few years later, when we found out we were _actually_ related. It was awkward and I don't think either of us knew just quite how to handle that. Then one day, this…this _scrawny_ little girl—you know, before she hit any kind of growth spurt—"

Peyton ducked her head briefly into her husband's shoulder in embarrassment, before turning her attention back to Nathan. Lucas just had to smile at the small pout she wore at his brother's teasing tone.

"—decided to go toe to toe with me. She told me in no uncertain terms, that I wasn't to hurt Lucas unless I wanted a _world_ of pain." He paused to wink at her. "I really didn't. She then went on to ask me why it was such a big deal, anyway. Luke and I had been great friends for years who joked all the time about being pretend brothers. Now that it was real, why did it have to be a bad thing? Sooo…we didn't let it be one."

Lucas squeezed his new wife closer for a moment, as he recalled those days of confusion and how Peyton had helped him find perspective.

"The thing about that day is that it's such a perfect example of their relationship. They're two people who have each other's backs no matter what. I know I don't have to worry about my brother getting hurt because he has someone who will stand by him through it all. Just like he will for her."

Nathan turned, smiling widely, and held up his glass towards the couple. "To my big brother; congratulations, man. I couldn't be happier for you. And to my now _official_ little sister—"

Lucas darted a glance to Peyton to see her wearing a watery smile as she tilted her glass towards Nathan.

"—welcome to our family. I couldn't ask for anyone better. I love you both." He turned to the rest of the room, "To Lucas and Peyton!"

Everyone echoed the sentiment and there was a light smattering of applause before the clinking of silverware against crystal became overwhelming. With a low laugh Lucas eyed his bride, then captured her lips with his. As usual, thoughts went fuzzy.

Laughter and a hollered, "Get a room!" broke the kiss, Peyton pulling back with a giggle as she flushed, making Lucas smile.

"Thanks, Hales!" Lucas called to his friend, "We will."

More laughter as Peyton whacked his arm; he caught her hand on the second pass and raised it to his mouth to press a light kiss against her palm.

"Well, that room will have to wait." A husky voice interrupted, as a pretty brunette stepped up to the microphone. "At least until after you hear from the maid of honor…me!"

She paused a moment, to let the last of the chuckles peter out and then smiled widely at the couple, dimples flashing. "For those who don't know, the story of Brooke and Peyton began in first grade and we've been best friends ever since. A lot of ups, a lot of downs, but nothing tore us apart. So that means I got to witness the story of Lucas and Peyton unfold up close and personal, from the very beginning…a lot of ups and a lot of downs…but only love."

When Peyton squeezed his hand, Lucas automatically clasped hers briefly in response, even as he looked down questioningly. She mouthed _I love you._ He gave it back; they both turned their attention to Brooke again, who was watching them with a teary gaze.

She gave a small laugh. "Anyway, I remember one day when we were about eight, Lucas came up and wanted to talk to Peyton. I told him that if it was important, he'd want to make her listen, since she hadn't seemed to want to. And boy, did she lead him on a _great_ chase…for about ten minutes." Her tone was dry on the last part, eliciting laughter from her audience.

"Later that day, I look up to see them enter the cafeteria hand in hand and smiling, only to sit with people I didn't know. _Naturally_, I went over there and plopped myself right next to my best friend and smiled at the boy holding her hand. I said something about him catching her, and he told me that maybe he did, or maybe _she_ caught _him_. And Peyton looks up and says, 'It's what you do when it's important, right?'"

The two women share a look, one obviously filled with a lot of meaning and emotion, causing the brunette to have to take a moment to gather her composure.

Brooke turned her attention back to the rest of the crowd. "If you ask anyone, they'll tell you that Lucas and Peyton are a lot alike in some ways…one of which is the tendency to want to run or emotionally close off when they're hurting. But in each other, they've found the _one person_ willing to chase after them without hesitation. The person who will storm through the walls they build to keep the rest of the world out, even if they have to hurt in the process, too. Simply because both of them feel the other is important enough for them to _want_ to be there, through any and every thing."

She let the moment linger, as people absorbed her words. Lucas could feel a lump in his throat, flashes of memory bursting in his mind. He and Peyton had experienced a lot over the years. Brooke was right; there wasn't a time he couldn't remember Peyton not being there when he needed her. He liked to think he managed to be there all the times she needed him.

"Yesterday, at the rehearsal dinner, I looked up to see them walk into the room hand in hand, just like always. And it made me think…about how I've never had to see one of them stand against life on their own. The other one was _always_ by their side, hand in hand." She raised her glass. "May that continue to be how you go through life, for many years to come. To Lucas and Peyton…to a lifetime of love."

Once again, the sentiment was echoed through the room. Both Brooke and Nathan made their way to the high table to be enveloped in hugs by the bride and groom. There were tears and laughter; more arriving as family and friends came by to offer their own words to the couple.

-x-

Lucas leaned back in his chair and watched his brother twirl Peyton around the dance floor. Nathan had stolen her when the song _Learn to Fly_ by the Foo Fighters came on; apparently it was a song Peyton had made him listen to during an issue he was having and had somehow became 'their' song.

"Hey, buddy."

He turned to the woman as she sat in the seat next to him. "Hey, Hales. Having fun?"

She rolled her eyes at him and sighed. "Word of advice: never agree to go on a blind date to your friends' wedding. Especially if it was your grandmother that set you up."

"I thought Jeremy seemed nice."

"Yeah, if you want to be informed about all the 'bad' ingredients in the food, the effects of alcohol on different animals, and how some guests resemble animals in their movements." She gave him a droll smile. "By the way, he only had good things to say about Peyton. You…not so much."

Lucas winced in sympathy; that did sound like a horrible time. "Where is this paragon of the perfect date, anyway?"

"Hey!" She laughed, lightly nudging his shoulder with hers. "backhanded insults are _still_ insults. And, thank goodness, he had to leave early. Something about a bird."

He grinned at her relieved expression. "Hales, isn't there some saying about finding a date at a wedding rather than bringing your own?"

"I know everyone here, Luke. You and Peyton have had the same friends our whole lives! Who am I supposed to meet?"

He didn't get a chance to answer, since his wife and brother chose that moment to interrupt.

"Hey, James. Interesting date." Nathan smirked at Haley. "I rather enjoyed the scintillating conversational topics while dining."

"Dude, you sound like a jack ass."

Haley made a face at the dark haired man. "I agree with Peyton, you can't pull off that accent or air of sophistication."

"Yeah? Well, neither could he." Nathan shot back.

Haley could only agree, really. She shrugged, then changed the topic. "Where's your date, Scott?"

"Right here." Nathan slung his arm across Peyton's shoulders, causing her to roll her eyes. "Don't need anyone else when you have the bride."

Lucas gently tugged her away from his brother. "No way. She's mine." He held up her left hand, showing off the shiny rings that rested there. "See?"

"The one I gave her was much, much bigger." Nathan taunted.

Lucas laughed. "It was a ring pop for Halloween. And she ate it."

"I think it was sour apple." Peyton mused. She turned to Haley. "Hey, Foxy, where'd your date go? I saw him leave earlier when I was talking to Karen."

"He had to leave because of a bird." She turned to Nathan. "Dateless, huh? I should have come the same way."

"It was that bad?" Peyton questioned.

Lucas nodded. "Apparently grandmothers aren't good wing-people."

"It was horrible!" Haley exclaimed with a laugh. "And yeah, my grandma is no longer someone whose judgment can be counted on."

"Hey!" Nathan protested. "Wasn't Joe's wife originally a blind date set up by your grandma? And now they're married. And Vivian's blind date just proposed. Maybe you're the defective James that your grandma just can't help."

Haley narrowed her eyes at him. "Bite me, Scott."

"Time and place, baby."

Lucas grimaced. "Not something I want floating around in my head."

"Nate's kinda right, though. I mean, your grandma is like the dating guru of your family." Peyton interjected, also taking the moment to lightly whack Lucas' chest for his comment.

Haley shrugged. "Well, this time the master bombed. It was just…no."

"It was…pretty bad."

"Thanks for your opinion." Haley told Nathan wryly. "I don't know what I would've done without it."

Nathan smiled blithely, deliberately overlooking her tone. "Probably dated him again."

While the two of them continued trading barbs, Peyton tugged Lucas onto the dance floor. "C'mon, Luke. I seriously don't want to stay in the middle of all that flirting."

"Flirting? Are you crazy?" He exclaimed, pulling her closer. "That's the start of World War III. I'm still not sure if they even somewhat get along."

She laughed. "Luke…they're totally into each other."

"If you say so."

"I do. Remember when we were kids, and they first met each other?"

Lucas scoffed, "I remember Haley made him mad, and he teased her so much she cried."

"Yeah, but…that was the beginning. You know, when Haley wasn't patient with people and didn't understand that not everyone learned as fast as she did. He had asked her for help, but he didn't understand what she was trying to say. She ended up really embarrassing him."

"I remember." Lucas said slowly, thinking back to those days. "We were all there, too. Next thing I know, he was calling her a loser and saying she'd always be one."

Peyton nodded, moving in closer to her husband as another slow song started. "Then he made her cry when he stomped on her favorite hat and called it ugly."

He winced, "That was harsh. She was subdued for days, until a similar hat was left on her porch with a note that said _for Haley_ on it." Lucas paused, pulling away from his wife a little to give her an incredulous look. "_Nathan_ put it there? We always thought it was her mom, trying to cheer her up!"

"Yeah. I actually helped him pick it out." She explained with a slight shrug. "He was saving his allowance to buy something for himself, but bought her a new hat instead, because he felt horrible for doing that to her. He was just humiliated that she basically called him stupid, and everyone else heard."

"Wow. How did I not know any of this?"

"It was Nate's secret." She laughed, "But now that we're married, you get full disclosure."

Lucas laughed along with her. They had always joked that they weren't allowed to know everything about each other until they got married. It was a way to tease each other about minor secrets that were kept, a way to act like marriage served as an incentive to finally hear them.

He glanced at where his brother and friend were still talking at the high table. "But that didn't stop the spiteful comments or taunts they threw at each other all the time."

"Well, because Haley didn't know he was sorry and he didn't tell her. And Haley didn't figure out how she was wrong in that situation until she grew up a little. By the end of middle school, didn't you notice that the comments they tossed around lost that edge, and became more like playful teasing?"

Lucas thought about it. Now that she pointed it out, he realized she was right. Over time, Nathan and Haley had come to consider each other great friends, even though they still mocked each other mercilessly. "I never thought about it before, I guess. But that just means they're friends, not that either one has romantic feelings for the other."

"But they do. Trust me." Peyton told him. "You just don't pay that much attention. But it's obvious to me and Brooke. We're waiting to see when they'll finally get together."

"Hales has another year at Stanford, then teaching wherever she decides to go. And Nate's planning to finish senior year and get drafted into the NBA for who knows what team." Lucas observed.

His wife shrugged. "So? They could work around that, if they wanted to. I bet by the end of the night, something happens between them. Weddings are notorious for relationships."

"What kind of bet?" Lucas challenged, "Because _I_ don't think so."

Peyton quirked her eyebrow. "Well….hmm. I know! After we get back from our honeymoon, the loser has to do the winner's household duties for…_two_ weeks."

He stopped, holding her at arms-length to stare at her. "So if I lose, I do your share of the housework, and if I win, I have to _eat_ your _cooking_? I seem to get the short end either way."

"Luke!" Peyton's jaw dropped, before turning into a pout. "That's mean. I try."

"I know, baby." He tugged her to him and kissed the top of her head. "But there's a reason we decided I would do most of the cooking for a while."

She mumbled against his chest, "I don't like you. I take back this marriage."

"Nuh, uh." Lucas grinned into her hair. "Those vows are binding, Peyton Elizabeth Scott. You are stuck with me forever."

Peyton tilted her head back and gave him a tender smile. "Say it again."

"Peyton…Elizabeth…_Scott_." He obliged.

"'I love the way that sounds.'" She sighed happily.

He nodded, bending his head to capture her lips with his and letting his mind go blissfully fuzzy.

He had _always_ thought it sounded like the best name ever.

-x-

"Peyton?" Lucas called, peeking into the empty hallway leading to the back kitchen of the reception hall. He had seen her duck away after talking to a group of their guests.

He was suddenly pulled into a small closet.

"Shh! We're hiding." Peyton whispered, putting her finger over his lips.

"From who?"

"Everyone." She said, stretching out the word. "And mostly Brooke."

He felt around, flicking the light switch and illuminating the small space. "Why? You okay?"

"I'm fine. She's just driving me crazy about all the things she thinks I need to be doing." She wrinkled her nose. "Like speaking to all my guests, not just you, and when I needed to toss the bouquet, and our first dance, and stuff. Now, she's chasing me around about the cake, but your mom wants me to hold her off until your sister comes back with your dad."

"Oh." Lucas hid his smile, knowing she wouldn't appreciate it. Brooke was nothing if not determined and the only way to avoid her craziness was hiding. So here they were. "Well, what do you wanna do?"

"Not that." She quickly dismissed the dirty meaning he insinuated in that statement. "With our luck, that's when she'd find us."

He laughed.

Peyton rolled her eyes at him, "Seriously. I mean it."

"_Okay_. So what else are we going to do in a tiny closet?"

She bit her lip. "If I tell you something, will you promise not to be hurt?"

"Depends." He said warily. "How bad is it?"

"Not bad." She quickly assured him. "It's just that it's been a long—and _great_—day, but I don't wanna stay here. I just wanna go home and be alone with you right now."

He shook his head in slight disbelief, "How is _that_ supposed to hurt my feelings? Being alone with you…sounds like a perfect idea to me."

She beamed. "Great! Now, we just need a plan of escape."

"We can't go out the front doors, not unless we want to take a few hours." He considered. "The bathroom windows are too small and too high…"

"The kitchen has a back door." She shared. "It might be unlocked."

Lucas pushed the door of the closet open enough to peek out and ensure the hallway was still empty. "Okay, I'll go check. Wait here."

He hurried down the corridor and slipped into the kitchen. He was relieved to see all the caterers and wait-staff had already gone for the night, as he made his way to test the door.

Yes! It led to freedom.

He made his way back to the closet, quietly telling Peyton they had a way out and leading her to it.

As soon as the door closed behind them, Peyton turned to him. "I took a limo here with the girls. Please tell me…" She trailed off, hopefully.

"I drove my car, since we had the wedding on the grounds of the reception hall." Lucas stated, holding up the keys he dug from his pocket. "And parked it a little ways down that street, so it wouldn't be stuck…just in case."

"This is why I love you!" Peyton admired. "Always thinking ahead. Good thing I married you before some girl snatched you away."

He rolled his eyes and said dryly, "I'm glad you had solid reasons."

"Of course. Come on, the sooner we leave, the sooner we can sleep off this long day." She sent him an overly innocent look from under her lashes.

Lucas smirked. "Right…sleep. You won't be doing any of that."

She laughed, bending over to remove her heels. "The car's that way?" She pointed.

"Yeah." He nodded.

She hiked up her dress a few inches and took off. "I sleep unless you can catch me!"

Without thinking, he chased after her.

It didn't take long for him to catch up, sweeping her into his arms when he reached her. "I got you!"

"You sure do." Peyton smiled, wrapping her arms around his neck and nuzzling her nose against the underside of his jaw.

He just had to kiss her for that. Because they 'got' each other. In every way.

_Last night I took her out in a white limousine,_

_Twenty years together, she still gets to me…_

Lucas stirred awake, reaching out his arm sleepily to pull his wife closer and bury his face in her curls. He felt—more than heard—her sigh and opened his eyes in time to see her lashes flutter open as well.

"Good morning." She mumbled, giving him a sleepy smile.

"Mmmm." He managed, nuzzling against her. "It is, isn't it?"

They both smiled, happy to bask in the peace of the quiet morning and let the leftover celebratory feeling from last night linger over them.

It had been their unofficial anniversary; celebrating not their wedding or their first official date, but a day in third grade when a question was asked and answered many years ago.

"You know," Peyton mused, lightly tracing patterns on his chest. "I think we're the only twenty-eight year olds who have been together _as a couple_ for _twenty_ years."

He grinned. "And I'm not even tired of you, yet."

She lightly pinched his nipple, making him wince. "Jerk."

"You married me." He teased back.

"I'm still trying to figure out why, too."

He pretended to consider. "Because I'm awesome? Insanely handsome? And you love me?"

"No…" She tilted her head. "I'm _sure_ there was a reason. I'll let you know…"

"Mean." He mock grumbled. "Mean wife."

She chuckled, "Don't you forget it, either."

He laughed lightly, tucking her body into his as he rolled her onto her back, careful to settle his weight on his arms as he hovered over her. He ducked his head and kissed her, slow and deep, the way he loved it best.

One of her hands slid up his naked back to cradle the back of his head and pull him closer.

Before either one could take their play any further, a shout was heard from downstairs, accompanied by the slam of a door.

"Ugh." Lucas groaned, dropping his face into Peyton's neck. "Haley always had the worst timing."

He shifted off of her, rolling out of bed to grab the first articles of clothing he came to.

"Speaking of," Peyton said, as she did the same, "What time _is_ it?"

His eyes found the clock, making him blink in surprise. "Fifteen past ten. Jeez, I haven't slept that late since…a long time."

"I'm not surprised, actually. We stayed up pretty late." Peyton's voice was muffled as he watched tempting skin get covered with a band T-shirt. She caught him staring as soon as her head cleared the material. "Seriously? Didn't you get enough last night?"

He pulled her into his arms. "I could never get enough of you."

"Charmer." But she tugged him down for another kiss.

The sound of something falling had them breaking apart.

"C'mon, let's go save her." Peyton laughed, leading him downstairs.

It wasn't Haley in the kitchen with their daughters, but Nathan. He looked a little harassed as he tried to get an eleven month-old little girl to stay in her highchair.

"Uncle Nate!" A tiny curly-haired blonde called from her booster seat on the other side of the table. "I spilt my cereal!"

The dark haired man sighed exasperatedly, "I know, Sawyer. I saw you. Let me get Riley settled and I'll get to it."

"I got it, Nate." Lucas spoke up, entering the chaotic kitchen.

Sawyer grinned, "Hi, Daddy! Did ya have a fun an'ver'ry? Did ya miss me?"

"We did miss you and your sister. But Mommy and I had a lot of fun, too." Lucas assured her, sopping up the milk with a dishrag. "And it's ann_i_ver_sa_ry, baby girl."

She just shrugged, watching him clean the mess from her chair.

Peyton had taken over with Riley, who had tried harder to escape the confines of her highchair at the sight of her parents. Nathan slumped into another chair at the table, looking a little defeated.

"Hey, big brother," Peyton queried, concerned. "Are you alright?"

He grimaced. "Yeah…"

"What's wrong." Lucas asked quietly, pouring a new bowl of Kix for his eldest.

"Uncle Nate's scared." Sawyer answered for him. "'Cause he don't know if he's gonna be a good daddy, like you, Daddy."

Peyton whipped her head around to stare at her brother-in-law. "_What_? Is Haley pregnant?" She finished settling her daughter, taking the chair across from Nathan.

"She found out right before I got home and told me last night. I thought she was sick or something, but apparently _morning_ sickness is a huge misnomer." He sighed. "I probably didn't handle it as well as I could have, and I made her cry."

"You said a _baaad_ word." Sawyer reminded him, helpfully.

Lucas took the last seat at the table and frowned at his brother. "What happened?"

"Well, I was taken by surprise! I said," a quick glance at his niece, "'S-H-I-T, are you sure?' and she burst into tears."

"Nathan!" Peyton cried, aghast. "I can't believe you! What a way to react."

Lucas just shook his head, stunned, as Nathan defended, "It was surprise! I was—I _am_—happy, but she didn't believe me after that."

"It's probably not going to be easy to convince her now, either. Not with her hormones." Peyton frowned at him.

He glared, "_Come on_, that wasn't the worse reaction ever. And like Lucas' was perfect!" He turned to his brother, clearly waiting for a description that he honestly hadn't heard yet for some reason.

Lucas just shrugged, "Actually, I grinned, said 'really?' and when Peyton said yes, I hugged her, told her I loved her."

"He was very excited, which made me feel both happy and _relieved_, since we hadn't planned for the first one." Peyton explained pointedly.

Nathan drooped, staring at the table. "I suck."

"You didn't mean to." Peyton sympathized. "Now you just have to keep telling her that until she does believe you. And she will."

There was a brief pause of silence before Lucas broke it, "You're going to be a _father_."

"I am." Nathan grinned.

"Congratulations." Peyton reached across the table to give a squeeze to his hand.

"I'm scared to death."

Sawyer tilted her head. "Scared of what, Uncle Nate?"

He made a face at her, but answered honestly, "Messing up." He switched his gaze to his sister-in-law. "I'm scared I won't be a good dad. I mean, I only watched these two for an evening and what you saw this morning was some of the better moments."

"That's parenthood." Lucas chuckled. "It's not perfect. It's not easy. You'll be exhausted, run the gamut of emotions, and wonder what you're doing all the time."

"You're not helping." He grumbled.

Peyton smiled. "He's right, though. But it's definitely worth it. Every smile, every hug, every _I love you_…it all makes the hard moments seem not that hard."

"But…" He looked at them helplessly, "What if I mess up and the kid hates me? What if I suck as a dad?"

"You'll mess up. He'll love you anyway. The reverse will be true, too. And sometimes, they don't even notice when you suck."

Sawyer looked up at that. "You don't suck, Daddy. You're the bestest in the u'verse!"

"See?" Nathan gestured, "You don't know what I'm talking about, because you're great at it."

"He put her diaper on backwards the first time he ever changed her, and she soaked through all the bedding. When she was learning to walk, he took his eyes off her for _just a moment_ and she cut her head against the cabinet." Peyton shared. "Once, I took her to the playground and didn't keep up when she ran. By the time I got to her, she had gone head first down the slide and ended up with a sprained wrist."

Nathan stared in disbelief.

Lucas shook his head and shrugged. "But they don't hold it against you."

"But Mommy," Sawyer frowned, "I 'member when I hurted my hand. You gave me cuddles and kissed the owie from the doctor. You're a hero, 'cause I don't hurt when you're there."

At her earnest explanation, Peyton's eyes welled with tears and she got up, hugging her daughter close. Nathan raised wide-eyes to his brother, who grinned.

"Or they see it completely differently." He murmured, nodding his head towards his wife and child.

Nathan grinned back. "So I can do this?"

"You'll be great. You'll see."

"Thanks."

Lucas nodded. "No problem, little brother. And thanks for watching them for us. Tell Hales, too."

"I will." Nathan stood up. "I'm gonna head home and convince my wife that I don't hate this."

He made quick rounds, saying goodbye to everyone and promising Peyton that he'd call when it was safe to come see Haley to celebrate the news.

"Dada!" Riley demanded from her highchair, "Mo'!"

Lucas looked over and rolled his eyes in exasperation. The girl was covered in her breakfast, mashed banana decorating her face and hair, with crushed cheerios acting as ornaments. And she wanted _more_? He shook his head.

Peyton looked at the baby, too. "I don't think so, my little terror. Looks like you only want to play, now." She reached for her daughter, "Time to clean up!"

"No!" She protested, wiggling away. "No, Mama!"

"Yes." Peyton responded, unfazed.

She started to whine, her protests getting louder. "No! Mama, no!"

"Daddy, I'm done!" Sawyer announced. "And clean!"

He looked over, grateful that her earlier incident with the bowl had completely missed her. "Okay, Angel-face, let's go." He lifted her out of her booster seat, setting her down in the archway to the kitchen and turning her towards the playroom they had made of a spare room down the hall. "Go play for a while, until me and Mommy come get you."

"Okay!" She took off, curls wildly bouncing. She stopped and turned suddenly, "Oh yeah, Uncle Nate was apposed to give me a bath, 'cause Aunt Haley was sick, but then Riley got mad, so's he didn't. I wanna bubble one!" She grinned, then disappeared into the playroom.

"Go! Goooo!"

Peyton appeared behind him with a groan, lowering a squirming Riley to the floor. Without a backwards glance at her parents, she toddled unsteadily down the hall, chanting a version of her sister's name.

"Wanna rock, paper, scissors, for giving a little demon a _bubble_ bath?" Lucas asked with a chuckle, knowing exactly how she got when playing with the different colored foam her aunt Brooke had given her.

She leaned against his shoulder, "Nah. I'll take one with her. I could use a bath."

He looked down at her and had to fight to stifle his laughter. She had banana on her shirt, and a chunk caught in her hair. She looked adorable.

And, somehow, still entirely sexy. Leaning down, he quickly stole a kiss, "You taste yummy."

"Uh, huh." She lightly shoved him away. "They've only been home twenty minutes. Why am I already so exhausted?" But her tone held nothing but tenderness. She actually loved the chaotic mornings when they were off schedule; it kept things interesting.

"Hmm, let me think." He gave her a smug smirk. "'Cause we really didn't sleep when we had the chance?"

Peyton wrinkled her nose at him. "Yeah, and I blame you. Just for that, you can be in charge of nap time."

"No fair!" He protested, tugging her into an embrace. "You're the one who kept being sexy. How was I supposed to stay asleep?"

She laughed against his lips, telling him between small, nibbling kisses, "By keeping your eyes closed, maybe?"

"Mmhmm." He mumbled, "I could still _feel_ you lying next to me. So sexy." Blue eyes darkened, taking in the woman in front of him. "Even more so, right _now_."

She just rolled her eyes, aware of how wrecked she must look, but settled deeper into his kiss anyway. They were still celebrating, after all.

_Can't believe it's been that long ago,_

_That we got started with just a little note…_

"Luke!" Peyton exclaimed, tears threatening. "Our oldest baby's growing up!"

He laughed, cradling her face with both his hands and smoothing his thumbs over her cheekbones. "Hey, you were doing just fine a moment ago. And babe, it's not like she's going off to college or driving a car. It's _third grade_."

His wife pouted up at him, "Yeah, I bet my parents said that, too. Then I found my future _husband_ that year!"

The statement wiped the grin off his face. He dropped his hands and stared. "You don't think Sawyer's gonna do that, do you?"

"Maybe." Peyton nodded. "I hope not. I mean, I love you, but it probably would have been more normal to wait a few more years before getting 'serious', you know?"

"Not for us." Lucas disagreed. "I think it was perfect. But that won't happen with Sawyer. She's not allowed to date until she's thirty."

She laughed. "_Every_ dad says that. Nate's threatening to keep Lyddie out of preschool next year, so she doesn't meet any boys!"

"Okay, I'm ready!" Sawyer bounced into the foyer where her parents stood. "Do I look okay?"

Lucas smiled at the little multicolored sundress and the ribbon in her hair, but had to bite back his laugh at the bright yellow converse sneakers. "You look very pretty, Angel. A lot like Mommy on her first day of third grade."

His wife blew him a kiss.

Sawyer looked up at them interestingly, "Uncle Nate said that's when he met you and Momma. How come he didn't know you before, if you're brothers?"

"We have different moms, remember? I lived with mine and Nathan lived with his in another town. He moved to Tree Hill and we met that year. That's also when _we_ met." Lucas indicated himself and Peyton.

"Oh." Their daughter grinned, "And fell in looo-oove!"

Peyton made a face, "Yeah, yeah, yeah. No boys for you, though, Soy-bean. _Not_ this year."

"Eeww!" Sawyer exclaimed. "No way! Not after William tried kissing me last year…after he kissed a _worm_!"

"Gross." Peyton couldn't help saying, sharing a look with her husband.

He agreed; that was pretty disgusting.

"I found my shoe!" This announcement preceded Riley, who held the item up as she raced into the foyer.

Lucas knelt down to help her put on _her_ converse; hers were a light pink to match her striped shirt. "You excited for kindergarten, Princess?"

"Mmhmm! Soy said I'll getta practice reading and learn math!" She nearly tripped from bouncing, while trying to stay still enough for her dad to tie her shoe. "And I'll make lot'a friends! Even more than in preschool."

"Yes, you will." Peyton smiled, adjusting her camera and catching the moment on film. "You're going to have _so_ much fun!"

Sawyer teased, "Just don't meet a boy. I don't think Momma and Daddy can handle that."

"I know boys." Riley stated, a little confused.

"Did ya kiss any?"

"Eww! That's yucky." She made a face.

Her sister laughed. "That's the kind of boy they don't want you meeting!"

Lucas stood up, a little stunned by the conversation. They were eight and nearly five; in no position to freak him out by talking about kissing _boys_. He still had years to go before he had to worry about that. He hoped.

Peyton was too distracted with taking candid pictures to notice her husband's shell-shocked expression. "I kissed your daddy when I was about Sawyer's age."

"What!" Riley cried, looking wide-eyed at her mother. "Wasn't it icky?"

Sawyer made a face. "_Why_ would you kiss him?"

"It wasn't icky." Peyton replied, motioning her daughters to stand together. "And I did it because I liked him. I wanted him to know and like me, too."

Mostly he couldn't believe his wife would tell his daughters something like that, and right before sending their eldest into the same grade in which it happened. "But don't for a _second_ think about doing the same thing to a boy!" He blurted.

"Didn't you like Mommy?" Sawyer questioned. "Or did you not like when she kissed you?"

He sputtered, making his wife laugh. "I—I liked it. Because I liked _her_. I wouldn't have liked it if just _any_ girl did it."

The little girl nodded thoughtfully, but didn't say anything.

Riley did. "I liked Wesley in preschool, but I didn't kiss him. That's gross!"

"Good." Lucas said. "Keep that attitude."

Peyton laughed. "If you liked Wesley, why do you think kissing him would be gross? Is _this_ gross?" She swept her daughter into her arms and rained kisses on the giggling girl's face.

"Momma!" She laughed. "I like your kisses 'cause I love you! But Wesley is my friend."

Sawyer grinned at her dad, "Be careful Daddy, Riles' has a _boyfriend_!"

"Nuh uh!" She wiggled down from her mom's arms, chasing her sister around the foyer as they both giggled madly.

Lucas just dazedly shook his head. "I'm not ready for daughters. And boys. And daughters liking boys…"

Peyton wound her arms around his neck and leaned into him. "Aww, my poor baby."

"This, I blame on you." He narrowed his eyes at her. "They both have your strong personality _and_ you just told them you went around and kissed a boy because you liked him!"

"The boy that was _you_!" She chuckled. "Relax. They think it was weird. We might get to meet future sons-in-law at more normal dating ages."

He groaned, mumbling under his breath about towers and thirty and a new mom to be a better role model. She just laughed before kissing him.

-x-

After taking both girls to the first day of school, Lucas returned home to sit in his study while his wife went to check in on her gallery. He figured she'd probably need some time to herself to cry about their babies being another year older.

He knew he needed this time. He missed the baby days. He loved these young, inquisitive ages and wanted them to stay little forever. But he was also looking forward to a lot of other ages to see them at.

It was emotionally confusing sometimes, to be a parent.

He stared at his bookshelves, searching his mind for something to distract him from his girls growing up. Suddenly a thought hit him, sending him across the room to take a seat on the floor where he'd been staring.

Curious, he started pulling his books off the shelves and ruffling through the pages. Growing up, he had kept random bills of money and bits of important _flat_ things hidden away among his favorite words. Before getting rid of any books, he'd clean out his treasures, moving or discarding them as befitted their significance.

"What are you doing?"

He looked up from his position on the floor and grinned at his wife. "Treasure hunting. Look what I found."

She settled cross legged onto the floor with him. "You keep money in your books? Why?"

"Habit." He shrugged. "Or maybe I just haven't looked in these books for a while. I used to 'save' my allowance this way as a kid, so I wouldn't spend it all."

Peyton looked up from counting. "You have fifty-three dollars." She laughed, "Look, babe, you're rich!"

"Family dinner date? My treat."

"You're on."

They grinned at each other, before he continued, waving a piece of paper. "But that's not the treasure. This is."

"What is it?" She tilted her head and reached for it.

He kept it out of her reach. "Well, it's something I've had for more years than I care to count. I'd find it every few years, and it always reminded me of that first rush of feelings I had when I fell in love."

"_Wha_—?" She stilled, meeting his gaze with her own. "You still have…my note?"

He shook his head.

She narrowed her eyes and looked at him, confused.

"_My_ note." He corrected. "And I've had it since I snatched it off that teacher's desk on my way out the door."

Peyton rose to her knees, shifting closer to where he sat. "Let me see that."

"Only if you come here." He teased, helping her by lifting her onto his lap and wrapping his arms around her. She just took the folded piece of paper and smoothed it out.

_Do you love me?_

_And if you do, well then don't be afraid to take me by the hand if you want to._

_I think this is how love goes. _

_Check yes or no._

"Oh my god!" She groaned, flushing in embarrassment.

Lucas chuckled lightly, pressing a kiss to her head. "I think it's cute. To the point and effective."

"Yeah, well…" She waved her hand absently. "I dunno. I had no clue what I was doing, really."

"Neither did I." He tightened his hold as she relaxed into his arms. "But I think we did alright. You?"

She leaned her head back with a little laugh. "I think we did more than _alright._" She held out her hands on her knees. "I love you. Do you love me?"

He couldn't help but give a soft laugh as he tangled his fingers with hers. "I _do_ love you. Very much."

"You never did check yes." She mock complained, turning her face to kiss his jawline.

He simply kissed her, drawing out the moment for a long, long while.

When they finally came up for air, he sighed and studied the piece of notebook paper in front of them. "I think we should frame this. The note that started it all."

"Mmm. Okay." She pulled away and rearranged her position, "You old sentimental softy."

He grinned, rather enjoying this as he lay back on the floor and pulled her to lay over him. "I'm actually the opposite of that, really."

Peyton smirked wickedly and pressed her hips to his, "Oh, I _know_."

Lucas buried his hands in curls and pulled her head down to capture her lips.

All these years spent together as the result of a simple little note. The rush of emotions coursing through him only growing stronger with every moment he shared with her.

Right at this moment, and looking back at their history, he was so very glad for her strong and honest personality.

And that his answer had always been yes.

_fin._

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><p><strong> Hope you enjoyed the story. Let me know what you think! :)<strong>_  
><em>


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